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CityLine: The War on Drugs Vs. the Opioid Epidemic

Whittier Street Health Center and the ACLUM discuss differences in perceptions of drug epidemics and treatment over the years.

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Updated: 10:20 AM EDT Apr 12, 2017

CityLine: The War on Drugs Vs. the Opioid Epidemic

Whittier Street Health Center and the ACLUM discuss differences in perceptions of drug epidemics and treatment over the years.

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Updated: 10:20 AM EDT Apr 12, 2017

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WEBVTT KAREN: THE OPIATE EPIDEMIC ANDHOW ATTENTION TO THE CRISISDIFFERS IN COMMUNITIES ACROSSRACIAL LINES.AT THE OUTCRY OVER MISSING GIRLSIN WASHINGTON DC AND THE LARGERPROBLEM OF TRAFFICKING IN THEUNITED STATES.♪KAREN: HELLO EVERYONE.WELCOME TO CITYLINE.FOR OVER TWO YEARS THE STATE OFMASSACHUSETTS ALONG WITH THEREST OF THE NATION HAS FOCUSEDTHEIR ATTENTION ON THE CURRENTOPIATE EPIDEMIC.THEY PUSHED FOR TREATMENTCENTERS AND INCREASED EFFORTS TOPROVIDE UPPER HINTS OF CARE TOTHOSE SUFFERING FROM SUBSTANCEMISUSE DISORDERS.THIS ATTENTION TARGETED TOWARDWHITE NEIGHBORHOODS FEELING THESTING OF ADDICTION MOST FEELSDIFFERENT FROM THE HYPERCRIMINALIZED SENTIMENT OF THEWAR ON DRUGS DURING THE 1990'S.JOINING US IS CURABLEKEIRA VAUGHN.WITH HER IS RASHA HALL.WELCOME TO YOU BOTH.LET ME START BY ASKING YOU WHATYOUR VIEWS ARE ON THIS DIFFERENTIN HOW THE OPIATE EPIDEMIC ISBEING TREATED NOW VERSUS THENAND IN COMMUNITIES OF COLORVERSUS SUBURBAN COMMUNITIES.KIRA: I THINK ONE OF THEIMPORTANT THINGS TO POINT OUT ISTHERE HAS BEEN A LONG HISTORY OFOPIOID ABUSE IN TH COUNTRYGOING BACK WELL OVER 100 YEARS.THIS IS NOT A NEW PHENOMENON WEARE LOOKING AT.I THINK WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENTIS THE INTENSITY OF WHICH IT ISREALLY CAUSING SUCH HARM TO THELIVES OF PEOPLE AROUND THECOUNTRY AT THIS POINT..I'M SOMEONE WHO IS WORKED INCOMMUNITIES THAT AREPREDOMINANTLY MADE UP OFPOPULATIONS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ATRISK.PEOPLE WHO ARE PREDOMINANTLYINDIVIDUALS O COLOR, THEIMMIGRANT POPULATION.I HAVE WORKED WITH THE WHITECOLLAR NEIGHBORHOODS IN QUINCYAS WELL SO I HAVE SEEN BOTHCOMMUNITIES BEING SHAPED BYTHIS.KAREN: WHAT DIFFERENCES DO YOUNOTE IN THE IMPACT?KIRA: I WOULD SAY THAT WHEN I AMWORKING WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE OF AWHIT BACKGROUND, THESE DAYSMUCH MORE OPENNESS IN TERMS OFSTARTING TO LEARN TO TALK ABOUTTHE IMPACT OF THE DISEASE ONFAMILIES COME ON THE INDIVIDUALCOME ON COMMUNITIES.IN OTHER WAYS WITH COMMUNITIESOF COLOR THIS IS A CONVERSATIONTHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING IN ADIFFERENT WAY AND FOR A LONGERPERIOD OF TIME.THERE HAS BEEN A HUGE PUSH INRECENT YEARS IS BECAUSE OF THENUMBER OF DEATHS THAT HAVE BEENIMPACTING THE WHITE COMMUNITY,ESPECIALLY IN THE SUBURBS OR INWHITE, BLUE-COLLAR FAMILIES.CRACK COCAINE, BEFORE WE SAW THEOPIATE EPIDEMIC HIT -- EPIDEMICHIT THE STATE HAS BEEN IMPACTINGBLACK AND AFRICAN COMMUNITIESSINCE THE, 70'S, 80'S, 90'S.PEOPLE HAVE NOT BEEN TALKINGABOUT IT IN WHAT I WOULD CALL AHEALTHY WAY.IT HAS MADE UP OF A PART OF THEDIALOGUE IN COMMUNITIES FORLONGER.KAREN: LET'S HEAR THE LEGALPERSPECTIVE.RAHSAAN: ONE OF THE THINGSTHAT'S VERY DIFFERENT AND HOWTHIS OPIOID CRISIS IS BEINGDEALT WITH IS NOW THE OPIOIDCRISIS IS BEING LOOKED AT AS APUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE, WHEREPEOPLE NEED TO RECEIVETREATMENT.IT IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM WHENTHERE WAS HEROIN AND BLACK ANDLATI COMMUNITIES, AND THECRACK EPIDEMIC OF THE 1980'S AND1990'S WHERE IT WASCRIMINALIZED.THERE NEEDS TO BE A TOUGH ONCRIME APPROACH TO ADDRESS THEHATERS.IT WAS VIEWED IN THE BLACK ANDLATINO COMMUNITIES AS APATHOLOGY WHEREAS NOW WHEN WELOOK AT THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC ITIS SOMETHING OF A MEDICAL ISSUEOR DISEASE.KAREN: THERE WAS THE MANDATORYSENTENCING SITUATION, THE POWDERCOCAINE VERSUS CRACK COCAINE.RAHSAAN: SENTENCING DISPARITIESFOR DISTRIBUTION OR INVOLVEMENTIN THE CRACK COCAINE TRADE WHENTHERE IS NO SIGNIFICANTDIFFERENCE BETWEEN CRACK COCAINEAND POWDER COCAINE YET THERE WASTH TREMENDOUS DISPARITY.KAREN: THE SENTENCING DISPARITYENDED UP FALLING ALONG COLORLINES.RAHSAAN: ABSOLUTELY.BLACK AND LATIN-- AND LATINOPEOPLE WERE OVERLY REPRESENTEDIN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.KIRA: HONESTLY IT JUST SOUNDSEXACTLY ON POINT REALLY.IF WE LOOK AT THE MODERN STATEOF INCARCERATION, I WORK WITHTHE POST-INCARCERATION -- PEOPLEOF COLOR ARE SO OVERLYREPRESENTED IN OUR JAIL SYSTEMSRIGHT NOW.LEGAL PUNISHMENTS ARE MUCHHARSHER ON PEOPLE OF COLOR ANDPEOPLE WERE COMING FROM THEWHITE COMMUNITIES.I HAVE NOTICED TIME AND TIMEAGAIN INSTANCES WHERE I HAVE HADCLIENTS FROM BOTH SIDES OF THERACIAL EQUATION COMMITTING THESAME CRIMES, HAVING ISSUES OFPOSSESSION OR DISTRIBUTION ANDTIME AND AGAIN I HAVE SEEN MANYOF MY WHITE CLIENTS, ESPECIALLYYOUNG WHITE MALE CLIENTS BEINGGIVEN CHANCES AGAIN AND AGAINWITH PROBATION AND HAVING THECHANCE TO DO DRUG COURT WHEREASFOR MANY OF MY CLIENTS OF COLORIT HAS BEEN IMMEDIATE SENTENCINGAND OFF THEY GO BACK TO JAIL.KAREN: ONE OF THE PRODUCERS WASTALKING TO ME LAST NIGHT,TALKING ABOUT T SEGMENT.IT APPEARS THAT IN WHITECOMMUNITIES PEOPLE WHO HAVE DRUGMISUSE ISSUES ARE BEING INVITEDTO COME TO THE POLICE STATIONFOR TREATMENT OR THE CLEANNEEDLE PROGRAM OR WHAT HAVE YOU.VERSUS COMMUNITIES OF COLO,PEOPLE ARE BEING LOCKED UP.RAHSAAN: I THINK ONE OF THE KEYTHINGS IS IN THIS DIFFERENTAPPROACH, THE CONCEPT OF EMPATHY.PEOPLE WHO ARE IN POSITIONS OFPOWER AND DECISION-MAKINGPOSITIONS, LAW ENFORCEMENTOFFICIALS AND LEGISLATORS, AREMORE WILLING TO LOOK AT THIS ASA PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE ANDDEVELOP POLICIES OR APPROACHESTO ADDRESS THIS THAT SPEAK TOTHE NEEDS OF PEOPLE WHO THEY SEEMORE LIKE THEMSELVES.IT'S A POSITIVE THING THAT WEARE TAKING THIS APPROACH, BUT ITSPEAKS VOLUMES ABOUT SOME OF THEPOLICIES WE'VE SEEN IN THE PASTWHERE THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOR WASCRIMINALIZED.KAREN: WHAT ROLE DOES THE MEDIAHAVE TO PLAY IN ALL OF THIS?KIRA: I WOULD SAY IT IS ASUBSTANTIAL ONE.RAHSAAN: EVEN THE LANGUAGE.WE ARE TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE WHOARE SUFFERING FROM OPIOIDADDICTION AS OPPOSED TOCRACKHEADS AND CRACK ADDICTS.EVEN THE IMAGES THAT ARE USED ONTELEVISION AS FAR AS WHO ISBEING PORTRAYED AS SOMEONE WHOIS SUFFERING --KAREN: NOT SUPPOSED TO USE THEWORD ADDICTS ANYMORE.RIGHT?KIRA: I THINK THAT ONE OF THEBIG THINGS I HAVE NOTICED INDOING THIS WOR IS, THE STATEHAS REALLY BEEN PUSHING ALL OFTHIS ADVERTISING IN THE LASTYEAR -- LET'S END THE USE OF THEWORD JUNKIE AND CRACK HEAD ANDADDICT IN SUCH A NEGATIVE WAY.THESE ARE PEOPLE STRUGGLING WITHA DISEASE.A LOT OF IT I THINK IS BECAUSE-THERE HAS BEEN MORE FOCUSED PUTON WHITE COMMUNITIES.THE TERMINOLOGY HAS CHANGED SOMUCH TO REFLECT A MORE PUBLICOUTCRY WITH CERTAIN COMMUNITIES.AT THE SAME TIME, THESE ARETERMS THAT ARE BEING APPLIED TOPEOPLE FROM COMMUNITIES OF COLORSO IT IS THIS VERY UNEQUAL ANDHIM BALANCED CON -- ANDUNBALANCED WAY OF -- MODERN-DAYCONTEXT OF ADDICTION ISSUES.KAREN: THANKS FOR GIVI USSOMETHING US SOMETHING TO THINKOF DESPERATE GIVING US SOMETHINGTO THINK ABOUT AS WE GRAPPLEWITH THIS ISSUE IN ALL OF OURCOMMUNITIES.UP NEXT, HOW THE MBTA TRANSITPOLICE MUST FIRST EVERAFRICAN-AMERICAN CHIEF ISREFOCUSING EFFORTS TO REDUCECRIME ON THE T.

CityLine: The War on Drugs Vs. the Opioid Epidemic

Whittier Street Health Center and the ACLUM discuss differences in perceptions of drug epidemics and treatment over the years.